


Like Father, Like Son

by RainFox88



Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Albert Wesker Lives, Canon-Typical Violence, Drama, F/M, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Mild Language, Post-Canon, Post-Lanshiang Bioterror Outbreaks, Post-Resident Evil 6, Romance, Sexual Content, Survival Horror, Suspense
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-09
Updated: 2019-03-05
Packaged: 2019-10-24 22:19:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 20,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17712695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RainFox88/pseuds/RainFox88
Summary: Post RE6/RE: Revelations 2. As Chris starts hunting the Family and the leftovers of Neo-Umbrella, Jake reunites with Sherry and talks to Chris. A mysterious man claiming to be Jake's uncle takes great interest in Jake, Sherry, and little Natalia. In an attack from the Family, Jake is injected with the same virus his father had. And it's not long when an old enemy returns, trapping them in a deadly game. Jake faces his father, risking everything. JakexSherry, ChrisxJill, ClairexLeonxAda. (This is an old story of mine from FF.Net that I am currently revamping/rewriting and posting to AO3)





	1. Prologue

# Like Father, Like Son

* * *

**A Resident Evil fanfiction by Rainfox88**

**Rating:** M for Violence, Language, Sexual & Adult Themes

**Pairings:** Jake x Sherry | Chris x Jill | Claire x Leon x Ada

**Genre:** Romance, Action/Adventure, Drama, Suspense

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Resident Evil or Capcom. All characters and storyline themes belong to them respectfully. This is merely a work of my imagination as a dedicated fan. Please do enjoy the story!

**Important Note:** This story is slight-AU, takes place three months after RE6 and Revelations 2, and prior to RE7. This story has gone under heavy revisions/changes/updates from FF.Net! Thank you and enjoy! :D

* * *

 

### Chapter 1: Prologue

The granite headstone stood in a row of many others, though this one shone bright, without the marks of weather and age. And like many others in the row, an empty grave is what it marked. A fresh mound of dirt formed around the headstone, soaking up the pattering rain and muddying the base.

He felt hopeless knowing he was responsible. Not just for his, but for the others as well.

How could he continue on fighting this way?

The legendary Chris Redfield asked himself this over and over as he stood before Piers Nivans's grave. He was buried alongside the rest of Chris's squad, all lost to the evil they vowed to destroy. All lost because of Chris. He failed all of them. He hadn't felt this lost, this ashamed, since the years he thought Jill was dead.

Piers had been too young. He was special to Chris. He saw himself in the young sniper. And though they butted heads often, Piers had always been right. The steadfast, honorable soldier was always optimistic, always ready to fight for the future…to die for it as well.

Chris was planning on turning in his gun after the events in Lanshiang. He hoped to see Piers take his place in the ongoing war with bioterrorism. Chris couldn't be a soldier forever, and felt his age and weariness now more than ever. But he knew now… he would never find someone with the talent and heart that Piers had.

He wouldn't be retiring anytime soon, not until he made it up to Piers and those he let down by his failures. He would no longer hide in the gloom of alcohol and despair, not like he did for six months when so many needed him, memory loss or not. He hated what he did, purposely hiding where Jill, Claire, and the others couldn't find him to wallow in his failures. It was Piers who finally brought him back.

Chris heaved a sigh, closing his eyes. He put his hand on the headstone, praying to his fallen friend and comrade. _I'm so sorry, Piers. I'll make it up to you, I promise. I'll keep fighting until it's all over. Your sacrifice won't be in vain. You saved the world. And I will make sure everyone knows it._

Slender fingers squeezed his shoulder. He slowly opened his eyes, a little warmth returning to his heart. He looked at Jill, her beautiful face blemished with light raindrops. Her touch could always sooth his inner turmoil. She rubbed his back to comfort him.

Chris still had a lot of making up to do with his own wife. He would never forgive himself for walking out on her and Claire. He and Jill married just a year after they killed Wesker. It was part of the reason Chris wanted to turn in his gun. He and Jill were ready to start a family. And they were both ready to put their battle against bioterrorism behind them to start a new chapter in their life.

Although, the two of them were too deep into this war to ever let it go. Their hope to see the end diminished more and more each year. But whatever happened, they would face it together.

Her voice was gentle, considerate, as her eyes studied him, gauging his emotions. They were adept at reading each other on a level not many people could achieve. "I don't want to rush you, but Barry just called. Claire's flight got in about an hour ago. They’re all waiting for us back at the reception."

Chris nodded, registering her words. Three months had passed since the events in Lanshiang. The C-Virus vaccines were being distributed throughout the globe, and it seemed this nightmare was slowly coming to a end. But it would be a long recovery for many countries, most notably China. It was only now that things were starting to settle that they could bury their fallen comrades or even get together to celebrate their reunion and victory, to commemorate those they’ve lost…like Piers.

The gathering Jill spoke of would be at Chris and Jill's house in the outskirts of Washington D.C. After returning to the States, Chris debriefed his mission and findings to the BSAA Headquarters Base, and only now was granted leave for a few weeks. Jill got her leave as well, since she had mostly spent her time in the C-Virus outbreaks in the Middle East.

Chris stepped away from Piers's grave, taking a moment to salute the headstone before he and Jill left the BSAA Military Cemetery. Jill had known the young BSAA soldier as well so she gave Chris the time and support he needed. She drove them towards home while Chris was tormented by his inner thoughts.

"Piers was the one, Jill. He was going to be our future. And I failed him. It's all my fault he’s dead…Just like Finn and Marco and-"

Jill cut him off, and Chris knew his wife had expected his grief, always reading him like a book. "And if they could hear their captain now, they would tell him to shut up and stop blaming himself. Chris, I knew all of your men. I knew they were all willing to die for this cause, especially Piers. And they wouldn't want their leader to take their sacrifices upon himself."

"They were my responsibility. They were my family! And I couldn't protect them. I can't protect anyone anymore." His sentenced ended with a rough sigh, and he looked out of the car window to the pattering rain outside. It would be dark soon, but at least the rain was letting up.

The SUV Jill was driving suddenly swerved to the side. Annoyed honks of surrounding traffic blared, and the wheels thumped against a curb off from the road as Jill slammed on the breaks. Startled, Chris snatched the handle above his head, staring at his partner. She glared at him. Her hair was no longer blonde, but remained long, hanging in a loose ponytail. Her sharp blue eyes caught his deep green ones like magnets.

"That's not true! You are the reason we’ve all made it this far since Raccoon City! You’re one of the original founders of the BSAA! We all formed it but it was your idea and you brought us together! Back before it was even funded and brought forth as the UN's official military on bioterrorism. And what about Wesker? Where would we be if you hadn't stopped him?"

Chris grew quiet, lowering his eyes. She was always quick to defend him. As much as he loved her for it, it wouldn't bring Piers back.

"But Piers-"

"Wouldn't want you to torture yourself like this over his sacrifice. It was his decision. You couldn't stop him. Just…realize that he made it for you and for the world. Don't let it be in vain. The world still needs you, Chris. And Piers knew that."

Chris slowly nodded, finally looking up at Jill again. She was right. Piers wouldn't want him to beat himself up over this. He still had a job to do. He was going to make sure that Piers's sacrifice wasn't in vain and keep fighting. Keep fighting until it was all over.

"Thanks, Jill."

She twitched a smile, nodding at him. She leaned forward and kissed him on the lips. Chris’s heart skipped at that kiss, and he deeply responded to it. Despite being reunited for three months, Chris knew he had to make it up to her for disappearing for months on end. Make it up to her for everything she had ever done for him. She was his best friend, the most beautiful and loyal person he knew, his rock and compass.

She pulled back after the kiss, turning back to the wheel and smiling. "So, is my dear husband ready to see everyone now?"

Chris chuckled. "Yes, Mrs. Redfield."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This story is mostly going to focus on Jake and Sherry, as well as Wesker, but all characters play an important role to this. I wanted to set this up as a prologue for Chris, and as a small dedication to Piers, who I actually enjoyed so much as a character in Resident Evil 6.
> 
> This story is slight-AU, takes place three months after RE6 and Revelations 2, and prior to RE7. This story has gone under heavy revisions/changes/updates from FF.Net!
> 
> I began writing this story not long after the release of RE6, and since then, RE: Revelations 2 and RE7 came out (And so did the remake for RE2 OMG) Anyways, I portrayed Alex as male before Revelations 2 came out and obviously that was wrong. So now, this story is changed up to follow that storyline as well. This fic takes place post RE6 and Revelations 2, but before RE7. :)
> 
> It’s sure nice to dip back into my beloved franchise again :’) Til next time!


	2. Catching Up

### Chapter 2: Catching Up

The Oval Office looked just the same as always, brightly lit, Secret Service agents like stony statues around thresholds and windows, the President in deep monologue about newly established FOS protocols. It was boring, but it was safe. Safe and normal.

Sherry Birkin stood before the President’s desk, hands laced behind her back, her posture tall as she tried to remain diligent. She wasn’t one to let her mind wander while important matters were being discussed, but today was different. Claire was in from New York, and Sherry was excited to go see her over at Chris and Jill's house after work.

In the aftermath of Lanshiang, she was finally able to wind down after submitting report upon report on Jake Wesker. Her debriefing process had been a long one, and now nearly three months later, she was in the clear. Unfortunately, her recent busy schedule excluded her from Claire’s arrival party last night, where they also paid tribute to Piers Nivans.

President Cal Reed had been Benford's Vice President. He was younger than the deceased President, but Leon had assured her he was just as charismatic and honorable as his old friend Adam. Now acting as President, Reed had a lot put on his shoulders so suddenly. The man was in his late forties, with graying black hair and dark eyes that held a sense of justice like Benford.

As an DSO agent like Leon, it was her duty to report directly to the President as well as the Chief Security Advisor for DSO and FOS. Leon’s experience and seniority within DSO allowed him to bypass any sort of involvement with the Chief Security Advisor, for the most part. However, Derek C. Simmons had been taken out of his title and permanently put in the ground. Until a new Chief Security Advisor was promoted, the President would have to handle all of Sherry’s reports.

President Reed’s FOS protocol discussion had digressed to Sherry’s recent paperwork on Jake Wesker, Derek C. Simmons, and the C-Virus. He commemorated her efforts in helping stop the bioterror attack and saving the world. But Sherry didn't want any awards. She knew the war on bioterrorism was far from over, and she was eager to keep going. To stop it once and for all.

"By the way, Ms. Birkin. Before I dismiss you, I have some news. A new Chief Security Advisor has been chosen.”

Sherry gawked at him, surprised and a little apprehensive about the news. “Really?”

 President Reed nodded. “My agents will take you to greet him, and then you are free to leave. He’ll be in charge of your next assignment should something come up."

"Yes, Mr. President."

President Reed gestured at two of his Secret Service agents. Sherry departed from the Oval Office and followed the agents them through the White House. They headed west down the Central Hall, and as they neared the Roosevelt Room, Sherry caught eye of a familiar face.

Helena Harper had her own escort passing by on their way to the Oval Office. The two women stopped in greeting. Sherry hadn’t seen her since they crossed paths in Lanshiang.

"Helena? Are you back as a Secret Service agent?"

The older woman greeted her with a warm smile. "Yeah. Thanks to Leon and Hunnigan. I think Cal also pulled some strings for me. We've been friends for a while. Oh, I mean President Reed."

Sherry returned the smile. "I've never dealt with him much, but he seems really nice. Leon said he's a lot like President Benford. Well anyway, glad to see you're doing well, Helena. It's been a very hectic few months."

Helena snorted in a dry laugh. “You can say that again! You take care, Sherry."

They parted ways and Sherry was taken into the Roosevelt Room. A nicely dressed man was in here, flipping through documents on a table. Their entry gained his attention, and his eyes averted from the printed sheets to look at them.

Sherry swallowed her apprehension and looked him over carefully. She felt ashamed that she never saw through Simmons, and was determined to make up for it had this man came off being anything like him.

Papers forgotten, the man faced them, a delighted smile forming on his lips. He wore a dark blue suit with a white undershirt and a red tie. He had golden blonde hair that fell to his chin, and his deep green eyes shown intelligence far beyond his years. He was younger than she was expecting, maybe around Leon's age. That would be young for the position he had just taken over. He was definitely handsome, but Sherry remained wary.

The man extended his hand to her, looking quite pleased. "Ah, Sherry Birkin! It is an honor. My name is Evan Fox. I’ll be your new supervisor.”

Sherry hesitated, but shook his hand. "Nice to meet you, sir."

"Please, just call me Evan. I was going through your reports on Jake Muller. I must say, your actions helped save this world. I'll make sure you are rewarded for your brave efforts."

Sherry shook her head. "That's okay, sir. I don't need anything."

Evan chuckled. "You’re humble, I like that! Still, I will reward you. I’ll make sure about that.” He gestured her over to the table he was at earlier. “C’mere love, I have some papers I need you to sign. I apologize for it, as I know you’ve done enough paperwork to last a lifetime after this, but it must be done. President Reed informed me that you are leave for a break. If an assignment comes up, I will contact you."

The way he called her “love” was playful and innocent, as though he was trying to be nice and respectful. Still, for whatever reason, her stomach turned over.

He went through the paperwork on the table, pointing out where her signatures were needed and what the documents were for. Most pertained to her debriefing files from the outbreak in Lanshiang. Afterward, he picked up a small briefcase sitting on the edge of the table and held it out to her.

“What is that?”

Evan scratched the back of his head, looking somewhat embarrassed. “Unfortunately, I have a few of your recent reports that have been flagged. Most of these are just going to need more detail or explanation, while others just need a signed verification.”

Sherry took the briefcase and sighed. This happened once in a while, even with Sherry being thorough with her paperwork and reports. Hardly any had came back since she made those reports. So now Sherry figured that Evan Fox was either being particular, or he was fishing for more information that wasn’t needed for whatever reason.

She had too many other things to worry about at the moment than to speculate over what he really wanted. Keeping the briefcase to her side, she weakly smiled at her new boss.

"I will be in touch, Mr. Fox."

“Take care of yourself, Ms. Birkin.”

She felt his eyes haunt her until she was gone. After leaving the room, Sherry headed for the exit, her thoughts swarming around her new boss. Evan Fox didn’t seem all that suspicious, didn’t seem anything like Simmons. Then again, she never saw through Simmons’s facade until it was almost too late. Sherry didn't want to jump to conclusions, but in her experience she felt it was better to be safe than sorry.

She entered the main lobby and caught sight of another familiar face waiting near the exit. A smile instantly broke on her face, and she quickly closed the distance to wrap her arms around the man she thought of as an adopted father and brother figure.

"Leon! What are you doing here?"

Leon returned the embrace. "Waiting on you. I knew you’d be on your way to see Claire as well, so thought I would give you a ride." He pointed at her briefcase. "Here, let me take that for you."

Sherry smiled up at him and handed it over before they exited the building. He was always the gentleman. They walked to his Jeep and got in. The Jeep started up with a low rumble, and the DSO Agents left the heavily guarded White House.

Her cell phone chimed, signaling a text message. Sherry pulled it from her pocket with an excited smile, her heart skipping.

_[Didn't take you one for politics, super girl.]_

She shook her head. Jake’s reply followed from an earlier text she sent to him informing him of her work with the President today. He knew it was part of her job, but, as always, couldn’t help himself to a sarcastic comment.

They kept in touch after parting ways in the aftermath of Lanshiang. There was no way the two could just walk away from each other now, not after all they've been through together. They texted and talked quite a bit. In fact, Sherry’s phone had started chiming a lot more than it used to.

"Let me guess…Jake?" Leon asked.

Sherry snapped her head over to look at him. She brought the phone to her chest, as if paranoid that Leon could see her messages. "Huh? How'd you know?"

Leon smirked. "Just a hunch. You two have been through a lot together."

Sherry felt the burn on her cheeks. "Yes, we have."

"He sure is protective of you. I thought I was gonna have to fight him after he shoved me away from you back at the plane crash."

Sherry twitched a smile. "I was just as surprised as you."

"He’s had a rough life. Wasn’t sure what to think of him at first ‘til I saw how much he cared about you," Leon stated, glancing at her briefly before looking back to the road. "Still can't get over the fact that he's Wesker's son though."

"Well, I had no idea when I took the assignment. But while I was with him, I thought he looked and acted like someone familiar to me. It made sense once I found out."

"Did you tell him that his father and your father were partners back in the day? That you knew Wesker?"

Sherry frowned. "No. I haven't…don't know how to go about it. I plan on telling him though…if we ever see each other again."

"Trust me. You will."

"Has Chris told everyone who Jake is?"

Leon shook his head. "I don't think so. He was the only one to have met Jake besides us. He probably thinks no one would believe him anyway."

Sherry laughed. "Yeah, probably so."

They finally reached the large, brick house in the outskirts of D.C. There were already other vehicles parked in the paved driveway. Sherry and Leon got out of his Jeep. Sherry made sure she had her phone on her, and grabbed the briefcase to take inside. She only made it two steps before Leon scooped it from her hand once more. As they walked to the front door, Sherry side-glanced at Leon.

"Have you met Evan Fox yet? The new Chief Security Advisor?"

Leon slowly dipped his head, not looking at her. "Yes."

"Did he seem trustworthy to you?"

There was a long pause before he answered. "No."

As Sherry felt that dread and disappointment fall over her, the front door opened and Claire stood in the doorway with a smile on her face.

"Leon! Sherry! Get your asses in here!"

Leon motioned for Sherry to enter first, and she did with him following up the rear and shutting the door behind them. Claire pulled Sherry into a tight hug and Sherry returned it with just as much affection. Sherry grinned, so happy to finally see her again. Sherry hadn’t seen her adopted mother/sister figure for over eight months. Between Claire’s terrifying ordeal barely surviving and escaping an island owned by Alex Wesker and going back to help save Barry’s daughter, Moira Burton, Sherry had her own problems trapped in that detention facility in China. The last time she saw Claire was at a hangout dinner with her and Moira days before they left to the banquet that would start their new nightmare and before Sherry left for Edonia in search of Jake.

 It took them a good, solid moment before the women could break the hug. Claire held Sherry’s face and fixed a strand of her hair with a loving smile. Afterwards, Claire pulled Leon into another tight hug. Leon returned the embrace with a small chuckle. Claire kissed his cheek, and then the three of them joined the others in the big den.

Sherry caught sight of Chris and Jill visiting the Burton family. Sherry knew the Burtons better than their other friends, although she admired and respected them all. She was actually good friends with Moira herself, because of Claire.

Jill sat next to her husband on one couch while Barry Burton took up a recliner next to them. Recently retired from the BSAA, he still provided support and training to new troops as an advisor and weapons specialist. His red beard was graying like his head, but though he was getting up there in age, the burly man could still fight like a soldier. His wife, Kathy, sat on another sofa with the new addition to their family, Natalia Korda. Sherry had met the orphaned eight-year-old not long after returning from China and heard all about the incident that nearly cost Claire, Moira, Barry, and Natalia their lives. She was a sweet little girl, and Sherry heard she was starting to come out of her shell.

“Well, if it isn’t the new DSO agent!” Barry greeted with a wide grin. “Congratulations on the promotion and helping save the world, Sherry!”

Sherry waved at them. “Thanks, Barry. All in a day’s work, I suppose.” A quick glance and she noticed two Burtons were missing. “Are Moira and Polly still in Florida?”

“Yep,” Kathy answered. “They decided to extend their vacation. Should be back in a couple of days, hopefully.”

Sherry joined Kathy and Natalia on their sofa while Claire and Leon sat near Chris and Jill.

Barry gestured at Leon. “Guess I should acknowledge the special agent with amazing hair and good looks. How the hell are ya, Kennedy?”

“I would say old, but I don’t want to offend you, Burton.”

They laughed. Sherry felt at ease, felt a part of this big, extended family all fighting for the same goal. She felt honored to be accepted, and could be herself. In her line of work, it seemed as though everyone knew of her parents, and there had been a few times she caught flak or was downright judged for what they did.

Sherry could tell that Chris was still down over the death of Piers, but he tried to hide it while they visited. Jill kept a hand on his back. Sherry was saddened by the news as well. He sacrificed himself to save Chris and the world. Sherry saw so much good in him. He was her age, and had died too young.

"Oh, by the way, Chris. I have some Intel for you," Leon said, holding up a USB stick. “Can we speak in the kitchen?”

Chris looked puzzled. "From who?"

"Ada."

"Ada?!"

"The real Ada Wong. The woman who killed your squad was actually a woman named Carla Radames. It's all on here. Simmons turned her into some sort of Ada clone. I’ll explain more in a minute.”

Chris bunched his lips, thinking. He nodded silently before getting to his feet and following Leon into the kitchen.

Sherry smiled down at the quiet Natalia, her brown eyes watching her feet as they dangled from the couch. “So, how’s Miss Natalia doing?”

The girl looked up at her, instantly brightening. “I’m alright. How are you, Miss Sherry?”

“Happy to be home.”

“You sleeping any better, Natty?” Claire asked.

Natalia shrugged, looking away. “I dunno. I think so.”

Sherry wasn’t sure what they were talking about, but assumed it had something to do with Natalia’s traumatic experience from the island and having to adjust.

“The Doc put her on a new medication. It seems to have helped the sleep walking some,” Barry said. The older man noticed Natalia’s face fall, and he frowned. “Don’t worry, sweetie. You’ll be better in no time. You just went through a very hard time. It’s normal.”

“I know. I just don’t to worry you all the time.”

Kathy reached up and stroked the girl’s hair with a gentle smile. “It’s our job to worry, dear.”

Sherry studied the girl. She showed the same symptoms that Sherry had when she was adjusting after the events of Raccoon City and the loss of her parents. She heard a little of Natalia’s troubles when she first met her and what she had gone through. She seemed normal enough, despite what happened. Although, Sherry recalled that Natalia had a strange look in her eye when she witnessed Sherry accidentally cut her hand open on glass and heal instantly. Sherry was informed that Natalia had stayed up all night asking Barry questions about Sherry. Then again, her powers sometimes had that affect on people.

Chris and Leon returned to the den to visit soon after. They resumed their catching up and sat through Barry’s bad jokes. Sherry felt Natalia’s eyes on her the whole time.

Later that night, it was only Chris, Jill, Leon, Claire, and herself left at the house. She sat between Chris and Jill’s conversation and game of rock, paper, scissors on who was doing laundry and Leon and Claire’s exuberant conversation about motorcycle modifications. All they needed was Jake here with them, and they would have their own little motorcycle nerd club, she thought.

Speak of the devil, she got a text message from him. She answered her phone with a smile to read it.

_[So I found out that my mother was from the States. Apparently, she went to Edonia just before she had me.]_

She typed back a response. _[Makes sense. Guess she met your father and then left the country. Speaking of which_ _…will you will be visiting the US anytime soon?]_

It took only a few seconds to get his answer. And it made her heart skip. _[Maybe_ _…]_

His next text came soon after. _[By the way, I officially changed my last name to Wesker_ _…No use in hiding anymore.]_

She frowned. Openly letting his true last name out to the public could be fatal on his part. It was the reason she, Chris, and the BSAA labeled his relationship to Albert Wesker as classified. For the purpose of global security and Jake's own protection. But it wasn't as though they could stop him from doing it. She just had to trust him, and hope and pray extra for his well-being.

Another chime came from her phone, drawing her out of her concerns. _[You are frowning. I just know it.]_

Even through texts he teased her nonstop. He got some sort of twisted pleasure out of it. It aggravated her at times, while other times, she just knew it was his way for showing concern for her.

_[I'm just worried that you could be put in danger from doing that, is all.]_

Leon cleared his throat. "Still texting Jake, I see.” His tone was extra teasing.

Claire winked at Leon. "Yeah…So are you going to tell me about him and your first assignment?" Her tone matched Leon’s and Sherry groaned inwardly.

“N-No, I’m not!” she lied.

Leon shook his head, amused. “You glow when you text him. You can’t lie to me, Sherry.”

Hearing Jake's name caught Chris's attention. Sherry wondered if Chris would ever tell the others who Jake really was.

Her phone chimed again, and Leon and Claire grinned mischievously, like they knew something she didn’t. Her cheeks burned, but she looked at her phone anyway, trying to ignore them.

_[Thanks for caring, super girl.]_

She smiled at the text. He would never stop calling her that. His nickname for her would stick forever, she was sure of it. Then again, she wasn't complaining.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Chapter 2 has been updated/revised. Thank you for reading! :)


	3. Secrets to the Grave

### Chapter 3: Secrets to the Grave

The red Yamaha YZF R1 sped through the streets at high speeds, the roaring engine resonating like overhead thunder. Cars rolled in congested streets, but the motorcycle weaved through them with graceful ease.

Jake Muller thought Washington D.C was anything but pretty. He barely had a sense of direction on where he was going, relying on the GPS of his phone to guide him. The son of Albert Wesker had been in the United States just over twenty-four hours, and in the capital city for less than five. He was already disgusted with the crowds of people and traffic. Then again, he wasn't here as a tourist.

He wore dark jeans with a black v-neck shirt and boots. It was the closest to “normal” clothes he’d worn in a long time, having become accustomed to living in mercenary attire and weapons days on end. Despite barely passing as a civilian, he felt extremely naked without an arsenal of weapons at his disposal. But he had to play by the rules here, for now.

Though the sky was overcast, bright rays peeked through gray plumes, and dried the remaining wetness from yesterday’s rain. Jake wore sunglasses to ease the glare. He tried to not get overzealous with his speed. He didn't particularly want to get pulled over so soon after arriving in the States.

He hit the brake and squealed to a stop at a red light. He took the time to check his phone as the bike idled in place. He was heading in the right direction, but still had a ways to go. He wasn't quite out of the city yet. And the sooner that happened the better, as far as he was concerned. As he sat on his bike, he also noticed he received a text from Sherry.

 _[Are you sure you thought that_ _through?]_

He snorted, a light smirk forming. She was referring to his decision in changing his last name to Wesker. To him, there was no use in hiding it. The Family already knew who he was. Who was there to stop them from informing anyone else? After all their experiments on him while he and Sherry were under house arrest in China, Jake was sure there was nothing worse they could do. And he had to accept Albert Wesker as his father, whether he liked it or not.

In all aspects, he knew Sherry was right. It was a mistake, especially so soon. But Jake thought differently from her in many ways. And in this particular discussion, he only shrugged it off as unavoidable in the long run, so why hide who he really was?

The red light changed. Jake revved the throttle and slammed on it, breaking a wheelie as he sped off for his destination once more. He was getting to the outskirts of the city, and from there the suburbs. Hopefully, traffic would become better the farther he drove.

Sherry had no idea he was in the States, even as she texted him last night. As much as Jake wanted to see the look on her face for a surprise visit, he had some business to take care of first. He was going to find Chris Redfield and settle their dispute. He heaved a sigh, feeling his nerves get the best of him. He had mixed emotions for the man who killed his father.

Sherry had begged him to talk to Chris, and not down the barrel of a gun. She was right. It wasn't as though his father was killed for no reason. He knew that his father had been crazy and evil. He just didn't want to admit that Chris had done the right thing. The only thing Jake could understand why he was so upset, was that Wesker was still his father. No matter what. Maybe he had wanted to meet his father. Get answers from him that his mother never answered. Maybe he had wanted to beat his father senseless for his apparent abandonment and making his mother suffer for so many years. Maybe he wanted to kill him himself. Jake would never know now.

He shook the thoughts from his head. He was here for the truth. He knew Chris Redfield would give it to him, whether he was ready to hear it or not. Jake was determined not to become his father. In order to do that, he needed to know everything. And so that was why the GPS guided him to the BSAA Captain's house. Sherry would have to wait for now.

Since he and Sherry had parted ways, he had continued to fight. It was strange not having her with him in a fight. His old habits tried to convince him that he needed to be alone, and to only survive alone, but he and Sherry had been through so much together. His rough life growing up, and betrayal after betrayal had caused him to become a man that only trusted himself and cold, hard cash. Cash that he never needed for himself. The only reason he became a mercenary was for his mother, who needed the money for her ever present sickness, and it kept them dirt poor. But not long after he became a soldier of fortune at fifteen, eager to help his mother, she passed away on him. He still fought for that money that he no longer needed until he met Sherry.

It was bad enough his mother passed away on him, but the man who trained him how to fight and how to survive, who had become a father figure to him, also betrayed him. His name was Rurik, and he came and went throughout Jake’s teen years as a mercenary for guerrilla factions. Everyone had simply called him Mr. Death. Jake eventually found out that he was a double agent working for bigger, greedier corporations. Rurik had returned with his true employers wearing a strange battle suit and a gas mask, attacking Jake and his mercenary squad in Edonia years ago. Jake was the only one to survive, and it was how he got the scar on his face, from his own mentor. So while he struggled to heal from his mother’s passing, this one came along and almost made Jake go completely numb. After that, he never trusted anyone again other than himself and money. Why show trust or compassion when you were just going to get betrayed?

That was his mentality for the longest time. His fellow mercenaries only thought he was moody and distant, paranoid even, but they never knew the whole story. But Sherry changed all that. She made him feel like a human being again, something he hadn't felt since his mother. Jake felt so revitalized being able to put trust into another person, and one he had come to care for deeply. Sherry didn’t just save his life, she saved _him_. Realizing it now, had he stayed on the path he was on before her, he would’ve become a man much like his father had been.

He told Sherry this after they killed Ustanak once and for all. All he said to her was that she saved him. He had meant his soul, and he knew she understood what he meant.

In the time it took him to drive all the way out to the suburbs, in the nicer neighborhoods, Jake had thought much about Sherry, and even his own mother. He had so many questions that he wanted his mother to answer, but she took them all to the grave. And for whatever reason, Jake would never know.

He had finally arrived, pulling the bike into lower gear as he slowed down. He looked at the house as he pulled in. Stuck-up and fancy where the first two words to come to mind, and he snorted. Should've known better. Many of the houses looked quite similar within the peaceful, upper-class neighborhood.

Jake shook his head, smirking as he turned off his bike and got off. _What's wrong Redfield? No originality?_

It was a harmless quip. He knew Redfield was the kind of man who only thought of houses as shelter. He had much more important things on his mind, much bigger than how nice his house or lawn was.

He pocketed his keys and cell phone. He walked over to the front door, glancing all around him for a moment. It was quiet mostly. He could hear kids laughing and playing down the street, the echo of a dribbling ball.

He hesitated with his knuckles formed over the door. He knew this was something he had to do. It didn't make it all that easy though. He cursed at himself, feeling like a coward. It was the uncertainty, the unknown, of the truth that Chris would present to him that he feared the most.

With a deep breath, he tapped on the door a few times and waited.

_You better be right about this, super girl_ _…_

He knew Sherry was right. It wasn't going to make it any more enjoyable though. The door opened a minute later, and so Jake gathered himself.

A woman answered the door. She had to have been in her thirties, and was beautiful. She had gray-blue eyes that beheld him with caution, her lips thinning. She was wearing a light blue blouse and white pants. Her long brown hair was up in a messy bun. She was on edge as she looked him over, as though he was a neighborhood punk about to break into her house. It aggravated him. Jake bit back a snide comment to her obvious suspicion towards him and pulled off his sunglasses.

She actually looked at him in a similar way that Chris had when they first met. She obviously wasn't expecting a total stranger at her door, but her look made him realize that she was trying to place his strange familiarity, much like Chris had.

"May I help you?" she greeted, keeping her body firmly in the doorway to block his path.

"Yeah, I came to have a chat with Redfield," he answered with a bit more edge than intended.

"Who are you?"

"Jake. I'm the guy with the C-Virus antibodies."

Her eyes widened in surprise, and she moved away to let him inside. She led him deeper into the house where Jake found Chris at the bar in the kitchen finishing up some paperwork. He was wearing casual clothing, a green shirt with khaki cargo pants. His face was neglected of a fresh shave, so stubble still remained on his handsome face. Jake also noticed the scar on Chris's cheek from where his bullet had scathed down in the underwater facility in their heated discussion over his father. There was another woman with him, younger with reddish brown hair that fell to her mid-neck. She wore jeans, as well as a white shirt and a red vest that had a motorcycle graphic on the back.

"Chris. You have someone here to see you."

Chris and the young woman looked up at the same time. Chris's eyes flashed upon seeing Jake, and he quickly straightened up. The woman who answered the door walked over to them. Jake didn't know who the women were, but looking at the younger one, he was sure that she was Claire just by her similarities to Chris and by how Sherry had described her. The older woman had to be Chris's wife.

Jake folded his arms with a grimace. "Expecting someone else?"

"Jake…well yes. I wasn't expecting you to be in the States."

"I told you our little talk wasn't over, so let’s just cut to the chase, shall we? I want answers."

"Excuse me?" Chris’s wife hissed, not liking his attitude. "Who do you think-"

"Jill, it's alright." Chris sighed, walking over to Jake. He turned to the women. The younger woman and Jill beheld Jake with guarded stares, as though he would turn into a BOW right in front of them at any moment.

"Jill, Claire…this is Jake. He had the antibodies for the C-Virus. He's the reason we are all still here."

"So you’re the one who worked with Sherry?" Claire asked.

Hearing Sherry's name caught his attention, and he nodded. "Yep, that would be moi."

Claire slightly smiled at him, and relaxed. Jake remembered that Claire was also the reason Sherry made it out of Raccoon City, as well as Leon. He could tell why Sherry was the way she was. She grew up taking after Claire's example, having been raised by her.

Chris scratched his head, looking nervous. "Jake is ahh…Jake is Wesker's son."

Seeing how the color drained from Jill and Claire's faces told Jake that his father had been on bad terms with more than just Chris. It made him clench his jaw, biting back a not so polite retort that had bristled under his tongue.

Jake didn’t miss how Jill purposely put the kitchen’s island between her and him. "I thought there was something about him.”

"Wow, that's irony for you," Claire said wryly.

Chris weakly smiled. "Piers said the same thing."

"Sherry made me promise to talk to you without pointing a gun at your face, so here I am."

Chris dipped his head at Jake. "I guess I'll thank her later then. Does she know you’re here?"

"Nope, and I want to keep it that way."

Sherry’s adopted mother tensed in annoyance near her brother. "So, you aren't going to see her after all you two have been through?"

Jake smirked, raising his palms slightly. “Relax, it's supposed to be a surprise. So, if you three know how to keep secrets, which I know Redfield here does, then I would appreciate it."

Chris pointed towards the glass doors in the kitchen that led to the backyard. "If you think you’re ready to hear what you want to know, then let's go talk."

"Ready as I'll ever be," Jake replied, his tone almost bitter. He headed for the doors and left outside on his own, leaving Chris with the girls.

"But Chris, don't you think-"

Chris interrupted Jill. "It's alright. This is something I can handle. Jake deserves to know."

Claire propped a hand on her hip. "He seems to be a real handful.”

Chris choked on a sarcastic chuckle as he headed for the back door. "Well, we wouldn't want Wesker's son to be easy and polite and pleasant to be around. That just wouldn't feel right.”

He exited into the backyard, leaving Jill and Claire with their uncertainties.

The backyard was large and fully surrounded with a privacy fence. There was a deck connected to the back of the house that led down to a stylish patio surrounded by artful landscaping. Jake sat at a table near an expensive built fire pit on the other side of the patio, admiring the masonry. Chris walked over to him, glancing back and seeing Claire and Jill watching from the glass doors. Sighing, he reached Jake and sat down opposite of him.

Jake came out of his thoughts and glared at him. The glare didn't last long, and Chris watched as he lowered his eyes to his hands. Chris was silent at first, trying to figure out what all he should say and how he should say it.

"Spare me the goddamn G-rated version, Redfield. Just spill it," Jake growled.

Chris saw a troubled kid in those eyes, a young man that had spent much of his life against animosity. Jake's attitude and temper were all just defense mechanisms. Sherry had just started to melt those cold defenses, but Chris could see it just faintly. How he saw him with Sherry back in Edonia and in Lanshiang, he could tell that Jake deeply cared for Sherry. If this was the case, then Chris knew that Jake could slowly have faith in humanity restored.

"Alright," Chris answered. "Back in Raccoon City, Jill and I were members of STARS. Albert Wesker was our Captain. I looked up to him in those days. I was young. But the truth of the matter was…he was working for Umbrella. His place within STARS was only for counterintelligence to keep anyone from finding out Umbrella's true motives. Well, when the grisly murders started happening in the mountains, we sent Bravo Team in to check it out. They never reported back so we went in next. We found shelter in a mansion, and within its walls we discovered the truth of Umbrella. Wesker had set us up to be guinea pigs against the new BOWs. We lost many friends that night. We managed to corner him in the underground labs.

He released the Tyrant, a powerful BOW, on us, and it killed him. We were able to destroy it and escape before the whole mansion exploded. But then, a couple months later when I was rescuing Claire on Rockfort Island, he was there, alive and well. Claire had been captured by Umbrella, and Wesker attacked the island with a paramilitary company and released an outbreak. It was here I noticed he was no longer human. Apparently, he had injected himself with an unknown virus before being killed that night. It gave him superhuman strength and speed. He almost killed Claire and me, but we managed to escape.

After that, he became a ghost for a while, but was the shadow behind many other attacks. I never gave up searching; I knew he had to be stopped. I wasn't the only one. I formed the BSAA with many others. All the while, Wesker was using agents to steal several types of viruses and we could never locate him. Despite all our efforts and resources, he always remained several steps ahead of us."

Chris watched Jake closely as he told his story. His nemesis's son had his jaw clenched hard, eyes staring down at his tight fists. Chris wondered if he should ask Jake if he was okay, but then thought better of it.

"Well, Jill and I finally learned the whereabouts to Oswell E. Spencer, the leader of Umbrella, hoping he could lead us to Wesker. He was hiding in an old mansion in Europe ever since Umbrella's collapse. By the time we arrived and found Spencer, he was already dead. Wesker killed him and he was waiting for us.

I had thought this was my chance to end him once and for all. To finally give so many friends the peace they deserved for his betrayal, but I was wrong. He almost killed me. There was no way we could kill him with his powers. The only thing that saved my life was Jill sacrificing herself. She tackled him and they went through the window, falling to the gorge below. Their bodies were never found. I knew Jill had to have been dead, but I wasn't going to put it past Wesker. He had died many times and come back.

I…lived in despair for a few years after thinking Jill was dead. I almost gave up on everything, but then I was given a mission to go after Tricell in Africa. Little did I know that Wesker was there, running the show. He had kept Jill alive that whole time and turned her into a mindless puppet. So not only did I have to fight him but I had to fight my partner, the love of my life. I was able to free her with my current partner, a woman named Sheva, and get her to safety. We went after Wesker, and then I learned what he was planning. He was going to shoot missiles into the atmosphere and release Uroboros. It would’ve destroyed the world. Everyone would’ve died. Wesker always told me he wasn't trying to destroy the world, he was trying to save it. But he had long since lost human thought and considered himself a god. So…I did what I had to, to keep this world safe. I killed him once and for all, and prevented the global attack."

Jake remained quiet. He was stiff, and his eyes were shut. He looked completely disgusted. Chris felt sorry for the young man, and he looked away for a moment.

"So yeah…when you asked me if I was just following orders or if it was personal…it was both."

"Goddamn it, why me?" Jake hissed, slamming his fist down on the table.

Chris took a deep breath. "You aren't your father."

"Are you sure?" Jake snapped. "Crazy has to run in the family. I know some things had to have passed down to me. Maybe this is why I feel I need to alienate myself. It's so I know I won't hurt anyone…like Sherry."

Jake remembered what Sherry told him back in that locker room in China. When he was saying the same words that he had to be just like his father for the things he had done and it started to make sense to him. She told him he could blame his father all he wanted to, but at some point he needed to take responsibility for his own actions. She was hurt and angry when she said that. But he understood why. He had thrown the same words to compare her to her own father.

_“You really think that crazy doesn't run in the family? That nothing of who my father was didn't somehow get passed on down to me? You of all people should know that's true.”_

His words to her echoed in his head, and he thinned his lips. He wasn't well known for thinking before speaking.

"Look Jake, if there is anyone who really knows Wesker, it's me. And though you carry much of his traits very dominantly, I can assure you, that you are not like him in the sense of being pure evil. I know you have a heart, and Sherry has told us about it."

"Pure evil, huh?" Jake scoffed. "How does a person become “pure evil”?"

Chris sighed, knowing where this was going, and refused to take the bait. "Many ways. Your father was part of a project called the Wesker Project within Umbrella. They were all children with great genetics and intelligence. All for the plan of what Wesker turned into. He was the only one of two who survived. I have no idea how he was raised or what his history was. I just know that he had the talents needed for good, and for some reason he took it upon himself for his own selfish desires to abuse his gift and make this world suffer."

"So, what do you think of all this irony? With me here as your sworn enemy's son?"

"It's not irony."

"Then what is it?" Jake narrowed his eyes.

"It's fate."

The words took Jake by surprise, and he avoided Chris’s gaze. Chris slowly rose from his seat, and Jake hesitated before standing with him.

"There's nothing you can do to change the fact that Wesker is your father, but I know you have what it takes not to be like him."

Jake took in Chris's sincere words, and slowly nodded. "Thanks."

Chris waved him towards the house. "Follow me. I want to show you something.”

Jake followed him back into the house, watching as Claire and Jill moved away from the glass doors and acting like they hadn't been spying on them. Jake felt the women’s eyes on him as Chris led him into a study room down the hallway. It was full of old equipment, from guns and trinkets to files and pictures. Chris rummaged through some old files labeled with the BSAA insignia. He pulled out a document within a folder titled Kijuju. There was a picture of a man, and Chris handed it over to Jake.

"In case you’ve never seen him."

Jake looked from Chris down to the open folder. The hair on the back of his neck peeled up at the sight. The resemblance was definitely there, but he could see the darkness even in the picture. His father looked very intimidating, yet very charismatic. Jake had killed people before, but looking at his father he knew he was looking at a cold-blooded killer who didn't think twice about it.

It made him think of his mother. How did she get caught up with a man like this? It didn't suit her at all. His mother was kind and generous, always thinking of others before herself. She had this gentleness that could settle any turmoil and a voice that would make you forget all the evils of the world. Yet she spoke so highly of his father, making Jake think he was just a deadbeat who skipped out on them. Did his mother just not know his true nature? He was confused.

He handed the folder back, the image burnt into his mind. Chris took it that he had seen enough; though he left it open for the kid. "I have many documents and pictures on him in my time with BSAA, and some leftover from Raccoon City. You are welcome to look if you ever want to."

"Thanks, but I think I've seen enough. I just…don't understand how my mother got wrapped up with a man…like him."

"I was wondering the same thing. I was going to ask you if your mother ever told you anything."

Jake shook his head. "No. She was always sick. She left the States before I was born. I know nothing of her past before then either."

"What was her name?"

"Laura Muller."

"Hmm, well I don't know if I can provide you answers with that."

Jake gritted his teeth, frustrated. "Why would she take them to the grave?"

Chris was sure the question was directed at Jake himself, so didn't answer right away. Jake shook out of his disturbed thoughts.

"Maybe she was protecting you."

Chris's words made Jake weakly laugh. "Yeah…maybe."

They left the room to rejoin Jill and Claire in the den. Jake knew that he should take his leave. He got his answers. There was no sense staying. Especially since it seemed he put Claire and Jill on edge because of his lineage. Besides, he wanted to clear his head before he saw Sherry.

"You are welcome to stay and visit, Jake," Chris said, noticing Jake's restlessness. "And just remember if you ever have any more questions, don't hesitate to ask. I'll do my best to help you."

"I don't need your help," Jake snapped, turning for the door. He took a step or two before suddenly stopping. He heaved a sigh, closing his eyes. He faced them again. "Sorry, I just…I'm fucking frustrated and confused about all of this. I really appreciate it…Chris. Sherry was right. It was better talking to you without a gun. And I'm…sorry."

Chris studied him for a moment, and smiled softly. "I understand. I hope I gave you the answers you were looking for."

"Who looks forward to finding out their father was a fucking crazy bastard who wanted to destroy the world?"

"True. I'm sorry, Jake. I wish it had been different."

"No, you did what you had to. Thank you for telling me the truth," Jake said. He went to leave but hesitated once again. He kept his eyes down. "And I'm sorry for what my father did to all of you."

"You don't have to apologize for your father's actions. You aren't responsible for them."

Chris’s wife said that, the one that had held him with the most distrust just moments before. Her voice was meek when she said then, but she meant it.

"You are your own person," Claire added.

Jake eased a smirk. "Yeah, and I'm gonna make sure it stays that way."

He went to leave, but was stopped by Claire. "Are you going to see Sherry?"

"Yes." He smiled again, blue eyes flashing mischievously. "So let's keep it hush-hush, alright?"

He left the Redfield residence without another word, getting onto his bike and sliding on his shades before speeding off. A ride at high speeds would help clear his head before surprising Sherry. He hated to admit that he was left with more questions rather than answers after his discussion with Chris. But the people who could answer them were dead. His mother obviously took them to the grave for whatever reason, and Jake had no idea what his father would answer. All in all, it left a bad taste in his mouth, a heavy weight within his chest. Like something wasn't adding up about his past.

Jake let the thoughts slip away. It wasn't as though they were ever going to get answered, so it was best to forget about them. Besides, he wanted a clear head when he saw Sherry. There was no use stressing over something he had no control of, and Sherry was more important anyway.

Slowing down to a stop on his bike at a stop sign within the large neighborhood, Jake sent a quick text to get the meeting place set up. She would have no idea, and he couldn't wait to see the look on her face.

 _Let's just hope you take the bait, super girl,_ he thought.

But he knew she would. He smirked. She trusted Leon after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Chapter 3 completed with updates and changes. Most of the beginning chapters won’t change much, but it’s the latter chapters that have gone through the most revamps. Anyway, really hope you all like this version of the story better. :)


	4. Reunion

### Chapter 4: Reunion

Being stuck at the White House all day hadn't been in Sherry's plans, but the next morning when she returned to give Evan Fox the rest of her documents, she got volunteered for more desk work. She wasn't thrilled or surprised. There was still a lot of work to do revolving around the global threat that was slowly subsiding. There were small outbreaks being quarantined in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.

The BSAA were handling most of it but it would still be months until the aftermath of Lanshiang would be resolved. As Sherry worked, a television hanging up in the corner of the room played the news. It showed footage of the demolished leftovers of Tall Oaks, and to Sherry and Leon it reminded them very much of the remains of Raccoon City after the bombing. The news also spoke of President Benford and his death, as well as other global outbreaks.

Though Leon's suspicion of Evan Fox put Sherry on edge, there was no way the young DSO agent could avoid him all day. At least she wasn't alone. Throughout the day she would cross paths with Leon, Helena, or Hunnigan, all of which were working closely with President Reed today.

Luckily, she remained busy enough to not feel trapped with the new Chief Security Advisor. It hindered her ability to text Jake though. She had only been able to send him one text since she arrived to work.

Sherry decided to take a breather. She turned the volume down on the television, hearing enough for the day. She leaned back in her chair, rubbing her blue eyes from the ache of staring at a laptop all day. She was dressed in a simple outfit, only because she didn't know she would be staying all day to work when she arrived early this morning. She wore white pants with some tennis shoes as well as a white camisole underneath an azure blouse.

She checked the time on her cell phone. Sherry was almost done for the day, and wondered if Leon was finishing up. She would ride with him back to Chris's house. She would have to take a taxi or the subway if he wasn’t, as she had left her car at her apartment. Leon had insisted on giving her a ride after work, probably because he knew she wanted to visit Claire again.

Sighing, she decided to gather all the papers into a stack quickly to take to Evan. She’d finish up with him and then go talk to Leon directly. As she flipped through the files, organizing them in their folders, she nicked herself on the corner of a sheet.

The sting exposed the paper cut, blood coming to the surface, bright and fresh. Sherry grumbled at it, not because of the cut itself, but the mess it made on one of the documents. With a wipe from a nearby tissue paper, the cut had already healed itself shut.

"That's a unique ability."

The familiar, charismatic voice made her jump, and she turned to see Evan Fox hovering near her desk.

"Oh…I assumed you already read my profile, Mr. Fox."

He lightly chuckled. "I did, but to see it in person is a whole new aspect. And it is the result of the G-Virus adapting into your body, yes?"

Sherry barely nodded. She never really enjoyed talking about it. All it reminded her of was her parents and Raccoon City. Even though she was given the vaccine, the virus mutated within her body, giving her this ability as well as slowing down her aging a bit. The only thing Sherry was proud of it for was for the fact her blood with this unique adaption enabled the Global Pharmaceutical Consortium to create the cure to the G-Virus. Just like Jill Valentine's immunity to the T-Virus from her close call in Raccoon City produced the T-Virus vaccine.

Sherry may have been kept and used as an experiment by the government for years because of her mutation, but she was happy to see that she was able to demolish her own father's evil creation.

"Yes, sir. I've been like this since the Raccoon City incident."

"It's good to see you turning right what your parents did wrong."

Sherry thinned her lips, quiet and not looking at him. "Uh, thank you, sir."

He must have sensed her insecurity. "Do not misconstrue my praise for pity, Ms. Birkin. You cannot be judged for your parents' crimes and yet you take it upon yourself to fix their mistakes."

_They weren't mistakes_ _…they knew what they were doing was wrong…evil…_

She did take it upon herself. She felt she owed the world that much. Even though she could never be responsible for her parents' actions, she wanted to fight back against people like them.

She didn't answer Evan soon enough and she heard him sigh. "You've lived a rough life, dear girl. And here I am making you work when you should be given some peace. Go on and gather your things and head home, Ms. Birkin. I'll take care of the rest."

Sherry shook her head. "O-Oh no, sir. It's no big deal. I'll just finish up."

"Nonsense. I've already made you work on your day off. I realize how insensitive I was this morning when I asked you to stay," Evan insisted, holding out his hand.

He gestured for her to take his hand so he could pull her out of the chair. Sherry hesitated at first, then slowly put forth her slender arm. Evan took her hand and tugged her up gently. As she rose from her chair, Sherry noticed the sleeve pull back on Evan's right forearm slightly. But it was just enough to get a glance at a tattoo that presented a very familiar symbol. Her heart jolted slightly, but she dared not let him notice that she reacted to it.

_I know that serpent emblem anywhere_ _…Just like Simmons' ring. Evan Fox must be a part of the Family!_

The Family held connections to Neo-Umbrella, as well as many other organizations. Simmons caused the outbreak in Tall Oaks to prevent President Benford from speaking the truth of the Raccoon City Incident. Carla Radames caused much more destruction in her quest of revenge, but she had been under the Family's employment in the beginning of Neo-Umbrella.

She needed to speak to Leon about this right away. Sherry cleared her throat, gathering her things from her desk. "Thank you, Mr. Fox. You have a good evening."

"And you as well, Ms. Birkin," Evan answered, dipping his head courteously.

She felt his eyes on her as she left the office and headed out. She needed to find Leon. There was no telling where he was. Hopefully, he was finishing up his work as well and they could leave. She had to tell him about Evan Fox's tattoo.

* * *

 

Leon didn't know what to say. He hardly reacted to President Reed's words. And now all eyes were on the DSO's chief field agent. Hunnigan and Helena beheld him with concerned eyes. President Reed sat in his chair in the Oval Office, hands tense on the desk as he studied Leon closely, awaiting his response.

He knew he shouldn't have been surprised by the ex-Vice President's request. He was a lot like Adam Benford in so many ways. Leon respected that in the younger President. Not even three months he had been sworn to oath into presidency from their good friend and President's assassination. He had so much on his shoulders now, with all that was going on in not only the United States, but globally. But President Reed was determined to make Adam proud, to honor what he wanted.

"I'm sorry, it's just…the last time a good friend of mine told me that, all hell broke loose," Leon finally said.

President Reed nodded. "I know. But Adam was right…wasn't he? The world deserves to know, does it not? It's been nearly fifteen years and to this day, no one knows the truth. And bioterrorism is still happening, still affecting people all over the world and all they know is that the BSAA specializes in such a dangerous form of terrorism. They know Umbrella was somehow involved because of the plummet of its stock and associates, and in the end its collapse. And so what if Simmons was right about the United States falling from the world's number one superpower? We owe it to everyone as a nation, and as human beings."

Leon looked to Ingrid. She thinned her lips. She was uncertain of this approach, knowing the potential upset and chaos it could cause within the nation, but also with other countries. Helena on the other hand, who stood with two other Secret Service agents in the room was all for it. Leon was sure it was out of guilt with her involvement in Adam Benford's assassination, through blackmail.

Leon closed his eyes for a moment, sending a small prayer to his old friend. "I'll stand with you on whatever decision you choose, Mr. President."

"Thank you, Leon. Well, I must be off to my conference. I still have much work to do. As do the rest of you."

The President rose from his seat. Leon and Ingrid moved to the side to let him pass with Helena and the other two agents escorting him. They followed behind them out of the Oval Office, but left the group from there on their own way.

"I guess I'm heading home now. Maybe I can take a breather for once. It always seems when you get back all hell breaks loose around here and it's up to me to keep things in order. It's always more peaceful when you’re out on missions trying not to get killed," Hunnigan said, chuckling at her small joke.

"Very funny," Leon replied, smirking.

"I just need to grab some things from my office. I'll see you later, Leon. Have a good night."

"You too, Hunny."

She glared at him playfully and then left his side down another hallway. Leon made his way to the employee entrance lobby. He found Sherry waiting for him by the window, looking outside to the pretty, sunny day. He was happy to have found her. He didn't want her heading off by herself.

"Hey, kiddo. Sorry I'm late."

Sherry turned to him, twitching a smile. "Kiddo? Will you and Claire ever get out of calling me that?"

Leon chuckled. "Claire started it. You weren't waiting long were you?"

"No. One of the other agents told me you were almost done in the Oval Office. I'm glad. I didn't want to grab a cab or take the subway."

"Well, let's get going then. Don't want to keep them waiting."

Sherry nodded, and the two of them left the premises. As they walked for his parked Jeep outside, Leon pulled out his cell phone and checked it. There was a text from Jake saying he was here and he had finished talking with Chris. It was sent an hour ago, and the meeting place they agreed upon was in the text.

He pocketed his phone, smiling slightly. He was surprised when Jake got a hold of him the other day, telling him his plans to meet with Chris and wanting to surprise Sherry. He asked for Leon's help to make that happen. Leon knew that Sherry and Jake had become close in their time working together. Jake meant a lot to Sherry, and Leon wasn't going deny Sherry the chance to reunite with him. His adopted daughter just…glowed when she talked or texted with Jake. She would be ecstatic to see him in person again.

He started the Jeep and headed out. Sherry thought they were going to Chris's house to visit Claire and the others, but he was actually taking her to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial Park. They would be meeting Jake at the Tidal Basin. It wasn't too far, and so Sherry would know something was up. Leon had a plan though.

"So Leon…about Evan Fox…"

Sherry's words broke off as Leon worked his way into heavy traffic in the Jeep. He glanced over to her. "What about him?"

"I saw…a tattoo on the underside of his wrist. It was the same serpent emblem that was on Simmons' ring. That's the symbol of the Family, right?"

It wasn't news Leon wanted to hear at the moment. It definitely brought a whole new perspective to why Leon had uncertainties of the new Chief Security Advisor. It was something he would have to check out. If Evan Fox was a member of the Family, then there was no telling what he would be planning.

"Did he notice you recognizing it?"

Sherry quickly shook her head. "No."

"Good. I'll look into it. We don't want him onto us if this turns out to be true. So just act normal around him, alright?"

"Okay."

They dropped the subject after that. Though traffic was a bit stuffy, Leon was able to break away from his usual route and got onto Constitution Avenue, heading ever slowly south to Ohio Drive. At first Sherry didn't say anything as she looked out the window. As the Jeep got onto Independence Avenue, with a small drive pass the Reflecting Pool with the Lincoln Memorial in the back, Sherry looked to Leon.

"Where are you taking us?"

Leon slightly shrugged, trying not to smile. "Claire wanted to meet at the Tidal Basin for some reason."

"Oh, okay. I know she loves to go there during the National Cherry Blossom Festival. Maybe I will get to see it for once next year."

"It's beautiful."

Leon's words made Sherry smile. The sakura trees didn't blossom until March and April. It was just now getting into October with all that was going on since the outbreak in Lanshiang.

Leon knew the young agent believed him and didn't suspect anything. He couldn't wait to see the look on her face when she realized it was Jake and not Claire.

He turned onto Ohio Drive not long after that, and followed the road by the Potomac River southeast to the parking lot near the FDR Memorial. It was always hell trying to find a parking spot anywhere in the capital, but Leon lucked out and parked the Jeep.

"You ready?" Leon asked.

Sherry nodded. The two DSO agents got out of the vehicle and headed into the park. Sherry walked by Leon's side as he guided them. She took in the sights as they strolled. There were many people hanging around the FDR Memorial down the street. Leon took another path, going towards the Kutz Bridge so they avoided the Memorial altogether.

The park was clean and artistic in style. Everything was so green and well kept. The breeze was cool, and carried a fresh scent from the Potomac River that smelled almost like rain. The FDR Memorial Park was considered a part of the West Potomac Park, that also included the Lincoln Memorial, Reflecting Pool, and the Korean and Vietnam War Veterans Memorials, all of which were north of where they were now.

Near the Tidal Basin’s dark water, Leon and Sherry could see the Jefferson Memorial on the opposite side once they got to the water's edge by the walkways. The sun's rays reflected off of the water in such a calming manner, perfect for basking. There were some paddle boats in the basin, with people in them enjoying the day. The Cherry Blossom trees, though not in bloom, were still beautiful, creating plenty of shade under their green canopies all over the basin. Sherry could just imagine what the park looked like in spring when the cherry blossoms were in full bloom all over. She heard it was magical, with petals dancing in the win and floating in the water.

"It's a nice day today," Sherry acknowledged.

Leon nodded. "I agree. However, I don't see Claire. Do you?"

The two stopped by the water's edge after following the walkway. Sherry looked around. There were numerous people enjoying their day here. Couples walked by holding hands, kids played in the grass, and older couples sat under the shade of the cherry blossom trees on the benches.

She didn't see Claire anywhere, but one person caught her eye. At first, she thought she was seeing things, and blinked rapidly. He smirked as he pushed himself off from leaning on the tree. When he spoke, she knew she wasn't hallucinating.

"Well, well, well, super girl. Fancy meeting you here."

"Jake!" Sherry exclaimed, grinning. She glanced at Leon to see that familiar smirk on his face, and knew that Leon had known about this all along. She bounded the strides over to Jake and threw her arms around him. Jake returned the hug, chuckling.

Sherry pulled away. "I can't believe it! How long have you been here?"

Jake shrugged. "Five days. I've only got here to the capital this morning."

Sherry whirled on Leon. "And you knew this?"

It was Leon's turn to laugh. "Well, yeah. Jake got a hold of me. He wanted to surprise you."

She turned back to Jake. "This whole time we’ve been texting and you were here already! That's not very nice, Jake."

Jake raised his arms in defense. "Hey, I had some business to take care of, and besides…I wanted to surprise you. It was worth it."

He turned to Leon. "Thanks for bringing her here, hero. I owe ya one."

Leon nodded. "Just take care of her. I'll leave you two alone. I better get over to see Claire while I can. See you two later."

Jake only waved him off as the agent turned to leave, but Sherry called at his back. "Thank you, Leon."

Leon smirked, waving over his shoulder at them as he headed back for his Jeep. Sherry took Jake's hand and dragged him over to a nearby bench that overlooked the basin to sit.

"So, how long were you waiting?" Sherry asked.

"Over an hour. This city is a pain in the ass. You know how fucking hard it is to find a parking spot around here? On top of that, I was watched out here like I was some sort of thug. Oh, and a little girl kept trying to sell me peanut brittle."

Sherry could only laugh. It was good to hear his voice, cuss words and all. "Well, it sounds as though we need to get you use to civilian life."

"To hell with that! I would die living in a place like this. Is there somewhere we can go that's more private?"

Sherry giggled. "Somewhere private in Washington D.C? You've got to be kidding me.”

"I suppose you're right."

"Oh, Jake! You need to meet Claire! I've told her all about you!"

"Already did. And you didn't tell her everything. She seemed pretty surprised whose son I was."

Sherry grunted, confused. "You mean?"

"Yeah. I spoke with Redfield earlier. Such a fucking mess. I think I was left with more questions than answers. And to top it off, I just feel that Redfield is cautious around me…like I'm gonna fucking snap any moment. I mean…I could tell he was sincere when we talked, but he still judges me. Same with Claire and Jill."

Sherry shook her head. "They aren't like that. Chris wants to help you, Jake. But you also have to remember that Chris has suffered a lot through his life. He just lost his whole squad these past few months because of the C-Virus. And he’s lost a lot more friends because of Wesker. He's been in this from the very beginning, and he hasn't stopped since."

"So, why doesn't he retire? Why doesn't he let what's his name take his place? The guy that was with him back in the underwater facility whose ass I wanted to stomp? He's perfect high and mighty BSAA lapdog material."

Sherry frowned, eyes falling. "You mean Piers? He died down there…saving Chris. And making sure that HAOS creature was destroyed."

"Oh…sorry, I-I didn't know."

She could tell Jake regretted his harsh words. The son of Albert Wesker heaved a sigh. "Well, it takes a lot of courage and honor to sacrifice your own life like that. So…I respect him for it."

Sherry smiled weakly. Jake had come a long way since they met. Had he still been the way he was when they first teamed up, she was sure he would’ve called Piers' sacrifice one of foolishness and insignificance.

Her stomach growled loudly all of a sudden, making her blush and causing Jake to chuckle. She hadn’t ate since morning, she recalled. It was about dinner time anyway.

"What the hell was that? You got a grizzly bear in your stomach or something?"

"Sorry. I've been so busy today I didn't have time to eat lunch. Didn't realize how hungry I was until just now."

"Well, we should go grab some chow then. Assuming of course, you know of a good place to eat in this shit hole?"

Sherry laughed. "I know plenty. Let's go. Did you take the metro here?

"Fuck no. Why would I take the crowded public transit when I have my own ride? Follow me, super girl."

Jake and Sherry walked together back to the same parking lot that Leon had entered with his Jeep. The lot was full of vehicles and overlooked the Potomac River. Jake brought her to a beautiful red bike, similar to the one he had stolen in China to save their asses.

Jake smirked at the bike, presenting it with much pride. "Ta-dah! What do you think? Much better than a stinky ass old subway, am I right?"

"I guess as long as no one is chasing us in a helicopter or other vehicles trying to kill us this time, it should be a nice ride," Sherry joked.

"Touché," Jake agreed.

* * *

 

Ada Wong sighed as she looked out the tinted window of the black Tahoe. "This city is so lackluster.”

Agents of the Family chauffeured her around Washington D.C. She had only arrived this morning to the States, and the Eurasian woman was quickly reminded why she had no care for the capital city. The past two months had sent her on several missions for the temporary leader of the Family, as well as a few questionable employers.

She was on her way to meet with the temporary leader right now. The Simmons' family lineage was currently scrambling to elect their new, true leader of the Family. Derek had no children or living siblings. Ada heard through the grape vine that it was going to be his nephew. She had spent the past three months cleaning up any link the Family had to Derek, the global attacks, and even Neo-Umbrella. At the same time, she made sure Neo-Umbrella and Carla Radames’ crimes were exposed to clear her own name, more or less.

Anytime Ada spoke to anyone within the Family these past few months, it had been an agent. But now she was about to meet the temporary leader face-to-face for a new assignment. It had to be something important for such a meeting. Normally, she would show up on her own accord, in her own way, but the Family worked a little differently than most of her clients.

The SUV pulled into a multi-story building not far from the Smithsonian. Ada rolled her eyes, not at all surprised by their destination. The driver pulled up to the front entrance, with wide concrete steps easing up to the grand glass front of the building.

Ada opened her door and got out. Two more agents in black suits and sunglasses working for the Family walked down the steps to greet her. The Tahoe pulled away, leaving entirely from the parking lot.

"Good afternoon, boys," Ada greeted with a sly smile. "Pulling out the red carpet for me? I’m flattered."

Her black hair ruffled in the wind like a raven's feathers in the breeze, glossy and dark. She wore a red dress shirt, black leggings and heels. She felt naked without her weapons or grapple gun, but the Family was difficult to negotiate with when it came to carrying such items.

Even with her stunning appearance, the agents merely motioned to the front entrance and started leading the way. The trip through the building was mostly uneventful. The building was huge, with multiple floors, and hundreds of employees and other agents working. Though Ada acted disinterested, she always remained vigilant, taking in her surroundings with great perception. In her experience, you always had to be ready for anything.

She saw many security systems and cameras on their tour through the building. They came to an elevator that was different from the others. Ada noticed it took a certain access to even open. When they got inside the large elevator, one agent hit the only floor that was listed besides the first floor they were on. It was simply called B5. The elevator secured itself and descended. Once all was quiet, Ada heard the melody of old fashioned elevator music. It made her smile.

"Wow, nice selection of music."

The agents spoke not a word to her. Of course, Ada knew they wouldn't talk to her unless she provoked them. It didn't stop her from poking at their nerves.

As the elevator came to a stop on the floor, Ada folded her arms. "Let me guess..A big, fancy underground laboratory?"

The doors slid open, and a white hallway leading out into sophisticated facility of laboratories and research bays presented itself. The setup reminded her very much of an Umbrella lab as she stepped off of the elevator. Her heels echoed with clicks across the tiles as the agents escorted her down a corridor.

"How original," Ada drolled, a roll of her eyes. "I was hoping you fellas would surprise me for once."

They took her into a large, clean office that wasn't near as white as the hallway walls and laboratory sections. The office was typical for any high overseer of something as intricate as this underground lab. The office had a small built in study to the far side. A large mahogany desk covered with paperwork, a computer, and some other items sat in the center. There was a large monitor set up on one wall depicting several video feeds of different labs and their workers. Behind the desk was a huge fish tank that took up much of the wall, though it held no ordinary aquatic life. Ada quickly recognized small shark-like BOWs swimming around in the tank. There was also a taxidermy representation of a Hunter Beta posed with one arm of claws out and howling within the study room area.

In all her years, Ada had never seen a stuffed BOW. Well, she kept going on and on how she wanted to be surprised today, and she definitely got it.

She walked around by the desk, the two agents planting themselves on either side of the door. Ada assumed they were waiting for the temporary leader, and so walked over to the tank to watch the BOWs swim around. It wasn't long before she heard someone enter, and turned to greet them, only to be surprised at the familiar face. She kept her composure though.

"Ah, Miss Wong. Long time no see."

"Evan Fox? You’re the temporary leader of the Family? I'm shocked. Weren't you some kind of Chairmen over in Europe for one of the Family's paramilitary companies?"

Evan chuckled, walking over to his desk. "For the past eight years, yes."

"You don't have an accent."

"Yes, well, I have to hide it while working as the new Chief Security Advisor."

"I see," Ada replied. She pointed to the BOWs in the tank. "Are you guys breeding pet BOWs now?"

"What, would you like one? They are failed experiments. No aggression but unique to look at so I set them up here. They’re some leftover research from Tricell."

"And what about that?" Ada pointed to the stuffed Hunter. "That's not creepy at all."

Evan shrugged. "You never know. It might become the new era of taxidermy. Why mount a deer or a bear when you can show off something a lot more dangerous and challenging?"

"I see you haven't changed," Ada said, smiling. She sat down in front of his desk after he sat down in his own chair. "So tell me, why did you want to see me in person?"

"Well, I have a couple of assignments for you that require your expertise. And since I have so much going on with the Simmons' line trying to locate Samuel, and then I-"

"Whoa, wait. The Family cannot locate its own successor? How does that happen?" Ada asked.

"You weren't informed of this?" Evan inquired, but quickly dismissed it. "He went missing right around the time the missile hit Lanshiang. At first we were sure it was because he didn't want to take his uncle's place as leader of the Family. But no one just disappears from the Family like that."

Ada smirked. "Evan, are you trying to take over the Family? Is Samuel hogtied sitting behind one of your vaults around here?"

"As tempting as it is, I have my own escapades to deal with. I've been working on a very special project for the past three years that I hope is almost complete. So no, unfortunately, Samuel is not locked away somewhere under my control."

"Okay, so about my assignments."

Evan nodded at her. "Yes. I need for you to locate Rurik Ginovaef. He's been working with us for the past few years, but ever since he showed up to the States under my command, he’s come up missing. I imagine it has something to do with Albert Wesker's son showing up here as well. After all, he trained the boy himself and gained some sort of bond with him while he worked for numerous employers within Europe years ago."

Ada groaned. "Great."

"What's the matter? You two know each other. And have worked together."

Ada leaned back in her chair, folding her arms. "One does not simply work with Mr. Death. Now, I worked with his older half-brother Nicholai when I was under Albert's employment. He’s much more fun to work with."

HUNK was called Mr. Death for a reason. There weren't too many people that Ada had to worry about keeping her guard up with, but he was definitely one of them. She and Nicholai had been good friends, but Rurik had always been an enemy for the most part, besides the few occasions they were working with neutral employers.

"He shouldn't cause you any hassle. He knows you are in our employment now. I just need to know where he is and what he’s up to. I don't trust him when it comes to Albert Wesker's son."

"Why not?"

"Well, first of all, he taught the boy how to fight and survive. And then I'm pretty sure Rurik allowed Jake to escape when we had him go back to capture him years ago."

Ada looked her nails over. "That doesn't sound like him. He's not one to get close to anybody. Are you sure that Jake just didn't succeed in escaping on his own and now Rurik wants to finish the job? I mean Jake is Albert's son, and the Wesker line seems to be annoying in the fact that they just won't die easily."

Evan thought it over. "I guess you could be correct. But even then, I can't have him killing Jake when we could still get some use out of him. This is your priority assignment."

"Okay, so what is the second one?" Ada inquired.

"After you locate Rurik and settle that assignment, I might need you to travel to Hawaii."

"Hawaii, huh? I hope for a vacation."

"Not quite. We think we have found a base that might be linked to Alex Wesker."

"You just love to make me deal with people I don't like. But what’s the point in that? She died not too long ago on Sushestvovanie Island."

"She had some research going on there that we are interested in,” Evan stated simply and didn’t elaborate further.

Ada blew air through her lips, shaking her head slightly. "You know, I dealt with her a few times while working with Albert and even Spencer. Think she was more twisted than they were, if you can believe it. But whatever you say…Hawaii it is then."

Evan rose from his chair. "Good. Now, I hate to have to rush you, but you should get on the ball in locating Rurik."

Ada stood from her own seat gracefully, nodding at Evan. "Of course. Don’t let me keep you from your hard work."

Evan smirked, his icy green eyes flashing wickedly. "I do have that special project I should be returning to."

Normally, just a statement would only make Ada scoff, but she found an unsettling feeling to his words. She turned and left with the same two agents that escorted her before with the same disturbing feeling. She shrugged it off once she got outside, knowing she would need to focus on her immediate assignment at hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Chapter 4 revisions complete. So many changes to do ahead, but I’m excited for them. I think the story will be way better now. Thanks for reading! :D


	5. Tracking Down Answers

### Chapter 5: Tracking Down Answers

Jake and Sherry chose a nice, authentic Italian restaurant near the Potomac River to eat and catch up. Even though it had only been three months since they last saw each other, it felt like eternity to the two close friends. It didn’t matter that they talked or texted nearly everyday on their phones. Jake ordered Angler fish, which he dubbed “poor man’s lobster”. He also ordered them an expensive bottle of red wine to have with their meal. Sherry ordered the homemade chicken alfredo, which earned her some teasing from Jake.

“Way to branch out, Sherry. That’s totally an American choice for fine Italian.”

She stuck her tongue out at him. “You leave my alfredo alone!”

Their wine was brought out soon after placing their order, and their glasses poured for them. The dark, ruby liquid had a strong aroma that wafted around their table. Sherry smiled, picking up her glass and holding it out towards Jake.

“How about a toast? To my dear friend, Jake. To which I owe my life to, and I wish nothing but the best for. And hope he doesn’t get himself thrown in jail while visiting the States because of his personality.”

Jake chuckled, raising his glass and dinging hers. “To my dear friend, Sherry. To which I owe my life to, and wish her peace and a happy future. And hope she doesn’t have to bail her best friend out of jail because of his personality.”

Sherry laughed. “Cheers!”

“Ya know, in Edonia, the legal age to drink is sixteen,” Jake said, dexterously balancing his wine glass on a finger while peering at the dark liquid. “I swear ‘ol Uncle Sam is ass backwards sometimes. They let eighteen year olds go to war to get themselves killed, or smoke, or drive a car, but they can’t drink?

“Your birthday was back in August, so what does it matter?”

“Guess you’re right.”

Their food came out a bit later, in the middle of Jake’s story on what he had been doing since they separated in Lanshiang. A couple of Italian waiters arrived with their food. One handed them their dishes while the other poured more wine into their glasses. Sherry looked over her plate with a pleased smile while the waiters spoke to each other in Italian.

_“Accidenti, quella ragazza è sexy. Ha bisogno di buttar via quel coglione e farmi vedere un bel momento.”_

The other laughed. _“Si. Mi piacerebbe portarla a letto.”_

Jake stiffened, jaw going rigid. Sherry barely noticed this before her friend presented the waiters a fork and cleared his throat. “Gentlemen, could I get a clean fork? This one’s dirty.”

The waiters exchanged looks and snickered, and one grabbed the fork in Jake’s hand to take it from him. Jake snatched the waiter’s hand and twisted it hard. The man yelped, following the turn in his wrist to prevent it from snapping. The movement dropped him to his knees before Jake, his forehead bumping the table hard, as Jake held his wrist in a position where he could easily break it if he wanted to.

“Jake!” Sherry hissed as several heads turned their way.

Jake glared down at the crying waiter. _“Meglio guardare quello che dici intorno ai tuoi clienti, stupido. È meglio che non senta più cagare da voi due. La manchi di rispetto e ti romperò tutte le tue dannate dita. Siamo chiari?”_

_“Si si! Per favore, ci dispiace!”_

Jake let the one waiter go. He scrambled to his feet, pushing past his friend and running for the kitchen. The other waiter was as pale as a ghost, eyes wide and he spun and got out of there. Jake smirked at their backs until he noticed Sherry’s glare.

“What?”

“What the hell was that?”

Jake shrugged. “Just advising them to show some respect, is all.”

Sherry wasn’t convinced. “What did they say?”

Jake waved her off. “Don’t worry about it, super girl. Just a guy thing. It’s all taken care of.”

Sherry slightly shook her head. “If you say so…”

They dug into their food and started back on their earlier conversations. Sherry noticed when a waiter came around to fill their glasses or ask for anything, they were not the same ones from earlier, and looked petrified and nervous. They were extra nice to Sherry too.

“So you know Italian too, huh? You spoke and read Chinese so well in Lanshiang, and of course you know Edonian. Pretty impressive.”

Jake scratched his nose as he swallowed a mouthful of food. “Ehh, I know a few languages from my travels as a mercenary. Italian and Spanish, both easy to learn. I also know German and some Russian. I started learning Arabic. I’m better at reading it than speaking it though. I’ve always been able to pick up on languages pretty easily.”

“Wow, that’s amazing. You must get it from your-” Sherry cut herself off when she realized what she was about to say. Jake narrowed his eyes at her, and she quickly coughed and changed the subject. “So uhh, Mandarin Chinese is one of the hardest languages to learn. How did you come about learning that?”

“My mother taught it to me when I was a boy. She knew quite a few languages herself, but Chinese was one of her favorites. Said there was a beauty to the language and the culture. I think I missed most of that on our visit though, too much running for our damn lives.”

Jake trailed off, thinking of his mother. Sherry noticed the gleam in his grey-blue eyes, the soul that he guarded behind them. There was love there, but also regret and sadness. He soon shook out of his thoughts, clearing his throat and quickly moving on, as if to keep her from seeing how much he was still affected by her death.

“Anyway, maybe one day you and I can go back to China and really appreciate it.”

Sherry smiled softly, nodding. She hesitated, wondering if she should ask or not. “What…what was your mother like?”

Jake’s jaw twitched as his eyes lowered to his food. “She ahh…she was passionate…about life, about our destinies. She was so smart…I always thought she knew everything. She was gentle and caring, but she also had a fighting spirit like no other. Even though we had nothing, she wouldn’t allow me to steal a single thing. And she always made sure I had everything I needed over herself…”

Sherry’s heart clenched in her chest. She felt for him. Jake only had one person in the world that gave a damn for him when he was young, and the world took her away from him in such a cruel way. She reached across the table and put her hand over his.

“She sounds…wonderful. I would’ve been honored to meet her.”

Jake nodded, swallowing and his voice just barely cracking. “She…would’ve adored you. So…what about your mother, super girl?”

Sherry frowned, thinking of her mother, Annette Birkin. She knew she still had to tell Jake all about how her father and Jake's father were good friends and partners back then…that she knew Wesker and had accepted him as family in her young age growing up. But she found it difficult to bring up Wesker around Jake right now. She had to remain positive that a better time would come up, and she could tell him the truth. For now, she tried to come up with something good about her mother, but found it challenging. She wasn't much different from her father. She worked for Umbrella as well. She knew the evils they were creating.

Outside of work, her mother had been strict and often just as busy with other things. And though her mother made sure Sherry had the necessities, she was often distracted or submerged in her work for Umbrella to do much else. Sherry couldn't remember much when it came to love and bonding in her family. There were a few occasions where Sherry and her mother bonded as she grew over the years, but they were so far and few in between. Her father was the one who would go easy on her when it came to discipline. He would tell her bedtime stories or bring her cute knick-knacks he thought she’d like. Sherry often remembered him kneeling down in front of her, patting her head, and having this handsome smile that she used to believe could do no evil. But even he was swallowed in his work most of the time. Sometimes her parents forgot to pick Sherry up from school, and it was always Wesker that came her aid on those days.

“Sherry?”

She shook out of those fuzzy memories, her eyes catching Jake’s as he looked at her in concern. “You alright?”

She nodded. “Yeah, sorry…was thinking of my mom. She worked with my father for Umbrella. She wasn’t much different from him. Their life was their work.”

It was the reason that Sherry had clung to Claire when she was younger. Claire treated her more like a loving parent than anyone ever did. And to this day, Sherry looked up to Claire, up to Leon, both having remained as guardians and her family since the Raccoon City Incident.

Jake looked troubled, thinking he had upset her asking about her mother. “I’m sorry, I-”

“It’s alright, Jake. It doesn’t bother me anymore. Besides, when I think of family, I think of Claire and Leon…and the others. They’re my family now, have been since I was a little girl.”

Jake relaxed. “That’s good. I’m glad. You know, I was wrong about Redfield. And now I understand your feelings towards all of them. I guess the next time I see Claire and Leon, I’ll thank them for what they did for you.”

They finished their meal while visiting. The wine was finished last and then Jake paid for their meal. The waiter that took his payment was even nicer than the others, and more terrified. Sherry gave Jake a glare as they walked out of the restaurant.

“You scared those poor waiters. Why won’t you tell me what was said?”

Jake ruffled her hair with a smirk. “Don’t sweat the small stuff, super girl. It’s all taken care of.”

“Which means you threatened to kill them or something.”

Jake feigned being insulted. “I did not! I only threatened to break all of their fingers.”

“Oh my god,” Sherry said, a tiny smile gracing her lips as she shook her head. “You’re hopeless.”

“I’ve been told that a lot.”

They walked side by side down the street, crossing the busy road into the nearby park. They sat on a large, circular fountain, glued at the hip and laughing at a story that Sherry told. Their early dinner flew by, even with all of their catching up. There was a few hours left of light, and Sherry wondered what they could do next together before going back to her apartment or visiting with Claire and Leon.

“So Jake, what have you been doing since arriving? You said you’ve been here for five days. Something about taking care of business, right?”

Jake rubbed his palm over his buzzed head. “Yeah. Been meaning to tell you, but well…wanted to make time with you first, catch up and all that.”

“What did you do?”

“Well, a few weeks ago I decided to go through some of mom’s old things I had in storage. I wanted answers. Answers she was never able to give me. It’s how I found out she came from here…or at least lived here for a long time. Found the names of a couple of colleagues or friends she had while living in the States. Tracked one of them down in Florida. That’s where I was for five days looking for this asshole. ‘Course, he ended up being dead. But his family told me more about this other colleague and where to find her.”

“You’re hoping she can give you answers about your mother?”

Jake nodded, lowering his eyes.

“What’s her name?”

“Michelle Lewis.”

“And where is she at?” Sherry asked.

“That’s the funny thing. Here in D.C.”

“Here?!”

“That’s what they said. Although, I don’t know exactly where. I was hoping you could use your special agent talents to help me out with that.”

It sounded too good to be true. Sherry wasn’t sure what Jake expected to find, but couldn’t let him go at this alone. This was important to Jake, she knew. She would help her best friend out anyway she could. Still, something about this nagged at her heart.

Sherry frowned. “Are you sure, Jake? This sounds…iffy.”

Jake snorted a chuckle. “I know, but I have to check it out. My mother left me with many unanswered questions, and my talk with Redfield only seemed to bring up more. I’m sure as hell not gonna get them from her or my father. So, what do ya say, super girl? Will you help me?”

Sherry smiled, grabbing his hand in hers. “I’ll always have your back, Jake. We’re partners, aren’t we?”

Jake smirked. “Hell yeah we are.”

* * *

 

Leon let himself into Chris’s house. Though he was good friends with Claire’s brother, Leon knew the BSAA Captain would flip if he found out Claire gave him a key. Claire didn’t live here. Her work with TerraSave kept her in New York City most of the time. So whenever she came to visit, she either stayed at Chris’s house or Leon’s apartment. Sherry stayed with her for the longest time until she became an agent herself, and now had her own apartment close to work, like Leon did.

He found Claire sitting at the bar in the kitchen, typing away at a laptop. Her focused, blue eyes stared at the screen, her bottom lip pinned by teeth as the keys clicked away.

“I thought you were on vacation?” Leon asked.

Claire jumped, looking over at him. “Jesus Leon, stop being such a creep all the time. I didn’t even hear you come in.”

Leon chuckled. “And miss the perfect opportunity to scare you? Not a chance.”

She rolled her eyes with a smile and closed the laptop. “Had a few reports to go over. Figured it was the best opportunity while Chris and Jill are at Headquarters for that meeting. Where’s Sherry?”

“Dropped her off with Jake. She was ecstatic.”

“Aww,” Claire said, smiling. She got up to make them a pot of coffee. “He stopped by earlier to talk with Chris. Good god, he looks so much like his father. I thought Jill was gonna faint when Chris said who he was.”

“Yeah, learning that was a doozy. He’s a good kid though.”

“What time did they say they would get back?”

Leon shrugged as he smelled the coffee brewing. He sat down beside where Claire had been sitting as she fished a couple of cups from the cabinets.

“They didn’t say and I didn’t ask. We probably won’t see them tonight.”

Claire faced him, eyes wide, almost dropping a mug. “W-What? You mean our adopted daughter is running around the city with Albert Wesker’s son unsupervised and without a curfew?”

Leon ran his fingers through his hair as he leaned back in the bar stool. “Well, yeah. They’re both adults. Why, you worried?”

Claire lowered her eyes, tapping the mug against her thigh. “No…I mean…I guess…after Sherry went missing for six months and after what happened at that island with Moira, I just…don’t want anything bad to happen.”

With a sigh, the Redfield sister poured their mugs and then sat down next to Leon. Leon stroked her back, leaning in to kiss her temple. “Now you know how Chris always feels with you and Jill.”

She weakly laughed. “Shut up!”

“I know how you feel, Claire. I love Sherry, and I worry about her too. But if there’s one person I trust above myself to keep her safe, it’s Jake.”

“Really?”

“I’m telling you, Jake won’t let anything happen to Sherry, even if it kills him. Kid was ready to fight me for touching Sherry back in China when I asked about Simmons. It’s clear as day that he loves her. And Sherry loves him. She glows when she texts or talks with him. I just don’t think they realize it yet.”

“Well, that makes me feel better. Hearing that from you. I mean, I didn’t get to talk with him much, but he seemed…nice.”

Leon laughed. “Jake’s not nice. He’s rude and he’s impulsive and loud. He’s got one hell of a temper and a mouth. But he’s got a good heart. I won’t be surprised if I have to go bail him out of jail tonight though.”

“Oh, dear lord.”

“You know what’s funny? A Wesker will eventually be marrying into the family. Ah, irony.”

Claire smacked him. “Don’t even talk like that.”

Leon smirked, always up for teasing Claire. She was his best friend, after all. “Can you imagine what their kids will be like? Both are smart as all hell…then you got Sherry’s powers and Jake’s…genes…They’ll be like little comic book superheroes.”

“You’re bad, Mr. Kennedy.”

They both took sips of their hot coffee with quiet chuckles. Their legs, hips, and even arms touched while sitting side by side. Leon had to admit; he missed this. They always seemed to touch in some way while hanging out, ever since sticking together after Raccoon City. He and Claire, although close, just hadn’t been able to spend much time together in the past year, between work and Claire almost dying on the island. Leon recalled flying to see Claire after she was recovered and taken to the hospital. It hadn’t been long after Sherry went missing from Edonia. After what happened on the island, and Claire sure that Moira was dead, it was the last news he wanted to tell her. But Leon had been scared. Scared he’d lost Claire back then.

“Why aren’t you staying at my place anyway? You’d get more privacy. Since you’re adamant about not getting a place here.”

“I think I stay at your place more than you do,” Claire joked. “It’s just that…I felt I needed to stay with my brother. He’s really torn up over Piers. He doesn’t want to admit it, but he is.”

Leon nodded, watching the steam rise from his coffee. “He was a good kid. Had a lot of good in him.”

“He sacrificed his life for Chris. Knew the world still needed him. Chris was certain that Piers was the one to take his place in this fight.” Claire frowned. “I want Chris to retire. I want him and Jill to start that family they’ve talked about for years. I’m afraid Chris thinks that without Piers, he won’t be able to.”

Leon didn’t move when Claire leaned her head on his shoulder. He kept his eyes on his coffee.

“You think any of us have a shot at that? To see this through to the end? To be able to live a normal life?”

“I…I don’t know.”

Claire sighed. “Me neither.”

“I’m sorry about Neil.”

Claire was quiet for a long moment. “Yeah…me too.”

Claire straightened herself, and they both took a drink of their coffee at the same time. Leon cleared his throat, looking over at her. “You know I love you, right?”

“Duh. I love you too.”

“Then what are we exactly?”

Claire shrugged, avoiding his gaze. “Best friends…with benefits? We’ve never really talked about it, I guess. You’re too busy chasing Ada.”

Leon winced, but smiled. “Ouch. I should’ve known you’d say that.”

Claire gave him a look. “Am I wrong?”

Leon didn’t answer, and Claire acted like she was going to say something, but shook her head and chose a different approach. “I want you to be happy, Leon. No matter what. Don’t worry about me.”

He grabbed her arm as she got up out of her chair. “Hey…I want you to be happy too. You and Sherry…What I’ve been fighting for…sure, it’s for the whole world, but…it’s mostly been for you two. You’re the reason I still fight.”

Claire weakly smiled, putting her hand over his. “Me too.”

Leon tugged her into him.

* * *

 

“You sure this is the place?”

Sherry nodded, checking the information over on her cell phone. “Yep. This is it. Michelle Lewis should be here. I hope you know what she looks like. Our database hardly has any data on her, not even a picture or description. I’m having Hunnigan look into it more.”

Jake glared up at the old apartment complex as he sat on his bike, hands clenched around the handlebars. They were in the the slummy outskirts of Alexandria, south of D.C. He wasn’t sure what to expect when they arrived, but this wasn’t his first choice. He glanced over his shoulder at Sherry. One of her arms wrapped around his ribs as she held onto him on the bike, her other hand holding her cell phone. She squinted at the ugly building under the glare of the sun.

“What a shithole. Feels like home almost,” Jake scoffed. “Guess we better check it out and see if she’s here.”

Jake got off the bike. He extended his hand to Sherry. With a smile, she pocketed her phone and took his hand, stepping onto the curb. They headed inside the run-down apartment building.

“If my bike gets stolen I’m gonna be pissed. And I will make Redfield buy me another one.”

Sherry wrinkled her nose, glancing up at him. “Why Chris?”

“He still owes me for killing my father.”

Sherry shook her head. “I’m sure it will be fine, Jake.”

The foyer smelled of smoke and mildew, and they soon realized the interior of the building was no better than the outside. The old building had rickety floors, ceilings stained with cigarette smoke, and peeling wallpaper. They found the front desk, dusty papers and old, left-out food scattered about. They found the superintendent sitting at a chair, legs propped up, watching an old box television.

The pudgy, older man with a balding head glared over at them. “Whaddaya want? If you’re loiters or salesmen then get the hell outta here before I get my shotgun.”

Sherry smacked Jake in the stomach before he could blurt out a challenge. It was barely enough to make him bite his tongue.

“Excuse me, sir. We’re sorry to disturb you, but we’re looking for Michelle Lewis. Does she live here?” Sherry asked, putting on her most polite face.

“Who’s askin’?”

Sherry showed him her DSO badge. “I’m with National Security. It’s important that we speak with her.”

The man studied the badge for a moment, but the scowl never left his face. “Third floor, room 33.”

“Thank you.”

The man sneered and went back to watching television. As Sherry turned to head for the stairs, she looped her arm with Jake’s before he could launch himself at the man. She dragged him across the lobby to the stairs before Jake finally let it go. They made their way to the third floor and searched the corridors until they came to the right room. Jake and Sherry nodded at each other before Jake rapped on the door.

A long silence passed, but then they heard the door knob turning and the door eased open just a few inches. A latch chain kept it from opening further, but the green eyes of a woman, gleaming with suspicion, peeked out at them. They could barely see the basics of her features. She looked middle-aged, had wavy red hair, and wore black leggings and a red blouse and a black, sleeveless cardigan.

“Who are you? What do you want?” she asked.

When her eyes landed on Jake, they widened. A short gasp escaped her throat, and they didn’t have time to say anything before she slammed the door in their faces. Jake and Sherry exchanged glances, surprised. They heard the latch lock slide out, and the door fully opened seconds later.

“As I live and breathe,” she murmured.

Before Jake or Sherry could form words, she grabbed Jake’s arm and pulled him inside the apartment. Sherry was herded inside next, and then Michelle shut the door behind them. She forgot about the locks and walked right back over to Jake, smiling, eyes sparkling as if Jake was the most fascinating thing she had ever seen.

“Look at you!” she exclaimed in hushed excitement.

Jake was puzzled. “You know who I am?”

“You look just like him.”

The words made Jake stop short. He turned his head just slightly, letting the words roll over him. “Yeah, I get that reaction a lot. I came here to get answers about my mother. I was told you had them.”

Michelle’s eyes took on a strange gleam, and they fell away from Jake. “Oh, my dear friend Laura. I haven’t seen her in years, never got to say goodbye. I’m really sorry about your loss.”

“You know about her death?” Jake asked.

Michelle motioned them to follow her away from the door. The foyer expanded into the living room, with an open kitchen and dining room. There was a closed door that probably led to a bedroom, and then another door that was ajar that showed some of a messy bathroom. Michelle offered them a seat on a couch in the center of the living room. The apartment was in disarray and full of junk. It was dirty, as though it hadn’t been cleaned in weeks. Compared to Michelle’s well-kept, clean appearance and fancy clothes, it just didn’t fit to Jake or Sherry.

She sat down on the sofa across from them. “Of course. She was my closest friend. Besides, why else would you be here?”

Jake sighed. “Good point. Tell me about my mother. What did she do while living in the States?”

Michelle’s eyes hovered on Sherry for a long moment before looking to Jake, leg casually crossed over the other. “We both worked for Umbrella. As researchers.”

“Did my whole fucking family work for them or what?” Jake growled.

Hearing Umbrella made Sherry grow even more uneasy. Her eyes darted around the apartment, finding herself scooting closer to Jake on the couch.

“What kind of research did she do?” Sherry asked. “Do you know where she worked?”

“I believe Laura worked in the European branch of Umbrella for a few years before coming to the States. She was transferred to Raccoon City for a couple of years. It’s how we met. Her research mostly consisted of plants, using their biological makeup to improve the viruses Umbrella were creating. After that, she fled to Edonia.”

“Fled? What made her flee? She was obviously pregnant with me. Was she trying to get away from my father?”

Michelle’s cool eyes flicked between them, her face hardly moving. “No. I don’t think she even told him. If she did, he probably didn’t want any part of it. She fled to Edonia to get away from Spencer, from Umbrella. They wanted her dead.”

“Why?”

“I guess after she found out she was pregnant with you, she wanted out from under Umbrella… she wanted freedom. But you just don’t leave Umbrella, that’s not how it worked. So another colleague and I helped her escape to Edonia where they would never find her. Of course, after the Raccoon City Incident, many Umbrella employees and myself were forced to change our names and go into hiding. But even that didn’t stop some of us from being found, either by Umbrella or by the government.”

Sherry didn’t like the feeling she was getting in her chest. It nagged at her. Something wasn’t adding up about Michelle. Her story seemed real enough, but she herself just didn’t…fit. Jake must have felt the same way, because Sherry felt him become increasingly restless beside her.

“Why kind of relationship did my mother have with my father?”

The composed ex-Umbrella researcher clasped her fingers on her propped knee, hardly blinking. “She only told me a few things. They worked together here and there. From what I was able to gather, it was a one-night stand. I’m sorry, Jake.”

That news seemed to upset Jake the most, although he hid it well. Sherry put her hand on his leg for comfort as he roughly scratched his palm over his head, flustered and confused.

“Was she always sick?” Jake asked.

Michelle closed her eyes for a few seconds as Sherry got a text on her phone, the soft chime alerting her.

“She was always healthy before. She must’ve caught something in Edonia.”

Sherry squeezed Jake’s knee as she felt him start to shake…probably from anger. Michelle wasn’t telling the whole truth. And Sherry now knew why. She looked down at Hunnigan’s text, horrified.

_[Sorry it took a bit, but I finally found a picture of Michelle Lewis. She’s a former Umbrella researcher turned informant to the government and BSAA, and helped bring down Umbrella. Her identity is highly classified because of this. Had to go through hoops just to get this info. Hope it helps.]_

The woman in the picture that Hunnigan sent was much older, skinnier, and had silver hair. The Michelle Lewis they were talking to was a fraud…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Chapter 5 is now complete with revisions/rewrite. Those who read the old version of this story can see quite a big plot change here, but I hope it’s for the better! Sorry the updates are taking longer than intended. I just wasn’t expecting to run into a brick wall figuring out what to do hehe. ^^’ Anyways, have a good week!
> 
> Translations:
> 
> “Accidenti, quella ragazza è sexy. Ha bisogno di buttar via quel coglione e farmi vedere un bel momento.” - “Damn, that girl is hot. She needs to dump that loudmouth asshole and let me show her a good time.”
> 
> “Si. Mi piacerebbe portarla a letto.” - “Yeah. I'd love to get her into bed.”
> 
> “Meglio guardare quello che dici intorno ai tuoi clienti, stupido. È meglio che non senta più cagare da voi due. La manchi di rispetto e ti romperò tutte le tue dannate dita. Siamo chiari?” - “Better watch what you say around your customers, dumbass. I better not hear anymore shit from you two. You disrespect her and I will break every one of your goddamn fingers. Are we clear?”
> 
> “Si si! Per favore, ci dispiace!” - “Yes, yes! Please, we're sorry!”


End file.
